T.F.M. Pages

Monday, April 13, 2015

The Ladder Diaries - The Clinic

As plans were coming together for the trip to Pyramid Lake, one of the essential parts to put into place was to line up "The Clinic". Several of the different guide services, fly shops, and outfitters offer this unique trip and who ever thought it up was kind of genius since this location is the perfect place to run something like this. A clinic is taught by one, sometimes two, guides and typically takes up to six anglers and teaching the group the ins and outs of how to fish Pyramid Lake.

I did some research, traded some text messages with friends in the know, and all intel pointed at Matt "Gilligan" Koles of Gilligan's Guide Service. A couple emails sent, date confirmed, PayPal deposit done, and we were all set for our clinic.

Fast forward to our first morning on Pyramid Lake and Gilligan met us at Crosby Lodge where we all picked up our license for the day, a few flies (even though we really didn't need them) and made a game plan for where we were headed. Soon we were off to the beach where we set up base camp, spread out our gear, and then circled around Gilligan as he explained part by part how to fish Pyramid Lake from leader setups, flies, ladders, and how to use floating and sinking fly lines optimally on the lake. It was a lot to take in but Gilligan is super laid back and after speaking with the group he then went one on one with each of us to make sure that we had everything set and made adjustments to leaders, flies, and indicators as needed.

The rest of the day was spent on the ladders and back on the beach retooling or taking a break. Gilligan was great to have around to bounce ideas off of, give suggestions, and make adjustments to our rigs as necessary. I think everyone raided his fly boxes a time or three as well. We learned a lot during the clinic and it instilled a lot of confidence in us for the rest of our time at Pyramid Lake.

Getting a guide on Pyramid Lake might not seem necessary but I think it should be highly recommended. Having someone that understands this lake takes the guess work out of what you should be doing and you can concentrate on putting a fly in the mouth of a cruising Lahontan Cutthroat. As with many things, with experience comes success.

Planning a trip to Pyramid Lake or somewhere else nearby? Give Gilligan a call or email to set up a day on the water together.